Exploring New Tools in Upper Limb Rehabilitation After Stroke Using an Exoskeletal Aid: A Pilot Randomized Control Study

Spasticity commonly occurs in individuals after experiencing a stroke, impairing their hand function and limiting activities of daily living (ADLs). In this paper, we introduce an exoskeletal aid, combined with a set of augmented reality (AR) games consisting of the Rehabotics rehabilitation solution, designed for individuals with upper limb spasticity following stroke. Our study, involving 60 post-stroke patients (mean ± SD age: 70.97 ± 4.89 years), demonstrates significant improvements in Ashworth Scale (AS) scores and Box and Block test (BBT) scores when the Rehabotics solution is employed. The intervention group showed slightly greater improvement compared to the control group in terms of the AS (-0.23, with a confidence interval of -0.53 to 0.07) and BBT (1.67, with a confidence interval of 1.18 to 2.16). Additionally, the Rehabotics solution was particularly effective for patients with more severe deficits. Patients with an AS score of 3 showed more substantial improvements, with their AS scores increasing by -1.17 ± 0.39 and BBT scores increasing by -4.83 ± 0.72. These findings underscore the potential of wearable hand robotics in enhancing stroke survivors' hand rehabilitation, emphasizing the need for further investigations into its broader applications.